Former Army infantryman Jon Stites is on a mission — to make veterans laugh, at any cost. Well, actually, at no cost at all.

Operation Comedy, a traveling stand-up show founded by Stites to put on free performances for military veterans and their guests, has found a home in Long Beach.

The series will launch a monthly residency at the comedy clubLaugh Factory beginning Sunday with a few well-known funnymen.

“This is one of the strongest lineups we’ve ever had. These guys are absolute beasts,” said Stites, who as a stand-up comic himself hosts the shows. The first show features headliner Roy Wood Jr., who appears on the TBS show “Sullivan & Son” and has performed on HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam.”

The 7 p.m. show also will include sets by Fahim Anwar, who has performed on Comedy Central, and Shaun Latham, who toured with Gabriel Iglesias and recently launched his own comedy series in Long Beach.

The show, as all Operation Comedy shows, is free but it’s open only to veterans, though they can bring up to three civilian guests. The first performance is already sold out but veterans can reserve spots for the next show, which is set for Aug. 10. And civilians also can start working on ways to get a seat.

“So what I tell civilians is that if they want to go, to find a veteran and get them to bring you,” Stites said.

The former information technology sales manager didn’t start his comedy career until he was in his mid-30s after going to an openmic night at a club. After that performance, Stites said he got bitten by the comedy bug, and as a former member of the armed forces, he quickly began performing at military bases as part of the USO circuit.

While he enjoyed performing for the troops, he was surprised to find out that the gigs were only for active military members.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of entertainment out there, especially on the comedy side, for veterans,” he said. “I saw there was a glaring need that needed to be filled: comedy for veterans.”

So he got a few friends together and began putting on shows for veterans.

Stites now organizes about 25 shows per year nationally at various comedy clubs, although most of the shows are based in San Diego and Los Angeles. Through the years, the shows have attracted big-time comedians, including Iglesias and Donnell Rawlings, a former cast member of “Chappelle’s Show” and “Chelsea Lately.”

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Latham, who will be on stage Sunday, has performed at several Operation Comedy events.

“They’re just always a wonderful crowd, they get into it, they enjoy it,” he said, referring to the veterans who come to the shows.

Latham recently joined Iglesias’ “Stand-Up Revolution” tour and he’s become a regular comic in Long Beach after launching a Tuesday night comedy show in April at Harvelle’s called “Arrogant Bastard Underground Comedy.”

Stites said Operation Comedy fits well in Long Beach not only because it’s coming to the Laugh Factory, which has brought comics like Dave Chappelle, Bob Saget and Dane Cook to Long Beach, but also because of the city’s military history.

“Long Beach has a very active, very robust veteran population — the whole South Bay area has — and so we’re really going to put down some roots in Long Beach,” Stites said.

The city’s military history has included the naval shipyard, which at its height was a vital repair and maintenance stop for ships deployed in World War II. The city is home to the Veterans Affairs Long Beach Medical Center, which referred about 100 vets to the show, Stites said.

Jamie Masada, owner of the Laugh Factory, said he wanted to do something to thank veterans for their service, so making them laugh with a free monthly event seemed like the best way to go.

“We really want to bring smiles to people who have done so much for our country. It’s us saying ‘thank you’ to them,” he said.

Since the July show quickly filled up, Stites said next month there will be two performances during the monthly event.

About the Author

Richard Guzman covers Arts and Entertainment for the Long Beach Press-Telegram, where he writes about art, theater, music and food. He is a graduate of CSU Northridge with a degree in journalism. Richard grew up in Los Angeles and has written about food, pop culture and art in the area. He has two young children and in his spare time enjoys riding his motorcycle and hiking. Reach the author at Richard.Guzman@presstelegram.com
or follow Richard on Twitter: @Richword.